tcain38

I will be fishing a tourney on April 2nd. The water on the lake right now is about 54-56. If the waether stays right the water should be close to 60. The fish are starting to bite better. They are hitting a crank bait and spinnerbait a little right now. What do you guys thing would be the best way to catch fish. The water is not clear and it is a deep lake, and it is also up just a little bit. I know the smallmouth are not far away for spawning. I just really dont know what I should do. Where should I be fishing on the lake this time of year. The last few time I've fish I have caught fish all over I just can't pin point where I should be. I know the largemouth will start to look for nest places during this time also. Just need some help. Thanks.

What kinda spinnerbait. Color?Weight? Fishing it on main lake points? What do you target with it.

In the early spring what do you think the best bait is for smallmouth in water temps from 46 to 55 degree water. Thanks

I like a grub in the spring and a Yum Wooly Bug in the late spring though summer.

What makes you think that there is a right color? I think you'd be better served by thinking less about the color and more about location and presentation. Good luck. Have you ever not been geetin bit and make a color change and start catching fish with the same presentation. Thats what I mean. I want to try and catch them right off the bat not fish for five hours them start to catch them.

Can someone post a link or tell me about color selection. I mean color with water clarity and also colors that should be used whith what sky conditions. I have a hard time with this. Some times when Im on the water I'm thinking, " I bet I dont even have the right color on for these fish no wonder I'm not catching anything." I wonder about this more than anything. Thanks.

I use bass pro shops spring grub. They are just 3" long, they dont make the 4" anymore. I use smoke and smoke purple. I also use bass pro shops unpainted 1/4 oz round jig heads. I throw it on a 7' M sinning rod with 30lbs braid with a 8 lbs mono or fl-carbon leader. I try to keep the boat in about 50 ft. of water and try to hit the bank with my casts. I let it sink and just slow roll it along the bottom. I usually target main lake points and secondary points, fishing both sides and the tip of the point. I use the smoke in clear water in any sky condition but if the skies turn real cloudy and rainy I like to through the smoke purple.

This situation sounds a lot like the lake I fish but there is a lot of fishing pressure. It sounds like you are using the right baits. I also like to throw a Yum Wooly Bug in red shad color. I have caught some on those. One thing that might help would be the moon. My boss catches a lot of smallmouth when the moon is big compared to when its not. You might also try C-riggin your spots before dark also. Those day time and nightime temps are spot on with our lake.

I live in Southeast Kentucky and I fish Laurel River Lake. This is probably the most over looked lake in Kentucky for smallmouth because you have Dale Hollow and Lake Cumberland. I fish the lake a lot and it is full of smallmouth. Tourneys starting Feb. all the way through mid May are won with hudge bags of smallmouth, I talking it takes like 27 and 28 pounds of fish. While spring is the best time to catch the smallmouth you can still catch be fish in the summer. I also work at Grove Marina on Laurel River Lake and my boss and his partener won a night tourney with four smallmouth over 20 inches and a 16 in. spot that was a big as a football. Its an awesome lake to fish.

What in the world are tomato stakes?LOL

Ok guys need some help. I love to bed fish. I fish a few tourneys during the spawn in Kentucky. I catch fish but they are all the average size 2-3 1/2 pounds. This is not enough. How do I catch the bigger females instead of the little males. I find a few bigger males sometimes but I just dont know how to catch those big females that you see swim by every now and then. I would like to know what you guys do. What baits do you use, your approach on the bedding fish, how to catch the big females, where do you look, these types of things. Any info would be great. -Thanks Travis Cain

I dont have much good luck on top water for smallmouth. I like to throw a red shad Yum Wooly Bug Texas rigged with a 1/4 oz. sinker.

What is your favorite bait to use for smallmouth at night.

What are your favorite night fishing baits for smallmouth or largemouth?

I think I read this on here once before but I for got. What is your favorite thing to take with you on the boat to eat while fishing. I usually take a ham sandwich and some chips and a Pepsi. One of my buddies told me a guy he know takes a hole bucket of chicken from KFC when he goes and eats on it all night, just puts it under the console.

What ever position I am in when the fish bites is how I set the hook, most of the time I try to jerk the fishes lips off. I dont really worry how I am going to set the hook, that to much to think about, set it hard and fast. The only bait I dont set the hook to hard on is a crank bait, the bait is already moving fast so you dont have to set the hook as hard with all those hooks.

I like pre spawn. THe fish are bigger and I like to use things like grubs and spinner baits in cold water.

For the tubes I just use a tube head. Stick the lead through the body and expose the eye and tie on, with the right head you can make it weedless. You can also texas rig them with a small offset hook. I fish them both ways.

When I fish a grub, mostly in the early spring I just use a 1/4 oz. lead head with a barb. I think it is best to use the lightest head you can on the grub so it will fall slower and have more natural action. I just thread it up on the shank and barb with the hook showing, not weedless. Its hard to rig a 3 in. grub weedless.

Where are the smallmouth in june and july when the water is from 75 to 85.

I I did is try to find a bait that you have confidence in and fish it a lot and learn the right way to fish it. Im not saying to find this bait and only fish it, but after you build confidence in one bait you can then go to another bait and learn it. You will always have your confidence bait to fall back on. Use this bait all over the lake until you find the fish. Try to have fun when you fish, dont get down because you're not catching they may not be hungry.

Yum Craw Bug is one of the most reallistic baits I have ever seen for a crawdad. I also like the Berkely Chigger Craws to.

I dont really fish these conditions much because the lake were I live a mostly clear and deep but I have seen fish caught on crankbaits, spinner baits, and jigs.

I like to look for spawning bass in the standing timber of a lake. Shallow flats at the head of creeks are also a good place. As for smallmouth they nest deeper. They like gravel flats and rocky points. I have not found and caught may smallmouth on nest but I experienced something at my home lake this year. Fish went on bed overnight seemed like because of the crazy wheather we had in Kentucky. Well the water level shot down in a hury. This left the smallmout exposed because of the falling water level and I spotted and caught a few. This fish were mostly in timber and on steped rocky points.

I dont think it has a neg effect on the bass and a lot of the fish weighed in are mostly males anyway there for the female will try to care of the nest. Sure some people will and can catch the females, most of the time they are done laying anyway. I think the pros put in alot of time and effort to catch fish, bed fish or not this is there job and they have to do what they have to do to make money. I love to bed fish. Other fish and animal have a more neg. effect on a bedin bass than fisherman ever thought about having. Thats my opinion everyone has one.